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University unveils new lettermark

by Andrea Hahn

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale now has a lettermark for University identification, marketing and promotional materials.

What is a lettermark? Think of the by-now-familiar Pulliam Clocktower logo, the one with the words, “Southern Illinois University Carbondale” to the right and the clock tower silhouette to the left. That is a “wordmark.” It is an easily recognizable and consistent way to identify SIUC on signs, stationery, printed materials and so on.

However, the clocktower logo, or wordmark, isn’t always practical to use, depending on the size and type of material.

Michael Ruiz, director of University Communications, explains it this way: “The lettermark is just another example of trying to be responsive to the needs of the University community. The University needed a way to use the letters ‘SIUC,’ but in a stylized fashion suitable for promotional items and apparel. They also needed a University logo that could be scaled down in size for small items like a pen or pencil. The lettermark meets both of these needs.”

The greater SIUC community had the opportunity to vote on possible lettermarks through the www.iheartsiu.com Web site. The University accepted as the new lettermark the one with the most votes.

“The University is important to our supporters, so yes, I think our alumni, current students and Saluki fans appreciate it when we allow them to have input in the decisions we make to promote the campus,” Ruiz said. “The lettermark that received the most votes did so by an almost 2-1 margin over its closest competitor. As such, we are confident that this is the right choice.”

The guidelines for the lettermark are at www.siuc.edu/~logo/index.html.

The lettermark is available to local vendors as well as for campus use. For more information, contact Jay Bruce in the Creative Services division of University Communications. Contact Bruce at jbruce@siu.edu or 618/453-2276.